Pacete: Artists’ Confarreation

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

FEBRUARY is love month. Violet and primrose are the flowers of February. This month bears the eleventh zodiac sign, Aquarius or the Water Bearer. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, it is depicted by a symbol NN (Nun), the god of waters. It is believed to be the oldest of all signs. We are expecting for rainy days ahead of us.

Februa, the Latin name for February, means ‘to make pure or clean’. In the past, Lupercalia was celebrated during this month. It is a feast for fertility and fruitfulness which began in the Lupereal Caves in Palatine Hill, where the legendary founders of Rome, Romulos and Remus, were said to have been raised by a she-wolf.

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This could be the background why two Silaynon artists prefer to have their wedding day on February 18. I am referring to the wedding of Ian Valladarez and Edsie Siason at the garden of Balay Negrense Museum at Calle Cinco de Noviembre in Silay City. Ian is the only (so far) continuous wire artist in the Philippines (or in this part of the world). His subjects revolve on anything about Negros… sugarcane workers, fishermen, cockfighting, children of the cane fields, among others.

Edsie works on terra cota and paints on canvass. She is the mainstay tour guide at Balay Negrense Museum. Cupid struck them with his arrow containing love potion in 2000. She was a new convert at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ian (an old church member) melted down when he first saw Edsie. That was love at first sight. “Her long hair attracted me. I developed instant angina pectoris. I must confess, her magnetism is so strong that I am physically attracted.”

Ian was the shy type. “I love to look but ashamed to talk.” He approached the piano and played ‘Ballad for Adelyn’. “I wish she will like this piece. I wish Adelyn could be Edsie.” And, a miracle happened. Edsie approached Ian with a smiling face and starry eyes. That could be love struck! Or, Cupid was already directing the scene without shouting “Cut!”

That started the dialog. That was the beginning of friendship. That was the end of fear. Love started to bloom. Something nice sipped in. Sleepless nights of fantasy followed. Really, Stupid Cupid was there. Edsie volunteered to be the house guide at Balay Negrense just to find out later that Ian was already there as resident artist. Edsie has this to say, “Ian is the fulfillment of my dreams. I am the inspiration of his artistic inclinations. I discovered the artist in me because of him. Both of us love art and in the process we learn to agree that we discover each other.”

Ian is not just a wire sculptor. (He has shared his work even to the President of the Republic of the Philippines and many VIPs.) He also paints using varied media, does digital arts, molds terra cota, and does installation. He was the champion dragon lantern maker of Bacoladiat 2012.

Edsie was really behind the success of Ian (or both of them make things happen) in his shows and exhibits in Balay Negrense Museum, Negros Museum, Dizon-Ramos Museum, Waterfront – Cebu, Cultural Center of the Philippines, UP – Vargas Museum, Mandarin – Makati, Ysobel Gallery – Fort Bonifacio, SM Art Center – Mandaluyong, SM Art Center – Cebu, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia and Intercontinental Hotel.

He made wire trophies for Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines Golf Tournament and National Bowling Tournament, and prepared medals for Frontrunner Magazine – Cebu. Ian and Edsie had been conducting regular summer art classes at Balay Negrense to share their God-given talents. I asked them, “Do you have special wedding tokens for ‘ninangs, ninongs and barkadas’?” Their answer is, “Yes… we are giving wire roses, wire basket with wire flowers, wire sacada sculpture, and Edsie’s painting.”

The wedding rite will be administered by the President of the Philippine Bacolod North Stake, Jose Anthony Ballon with Bro. Arnold Libatique conducting other parts of the ceremony. The food will be catered at the sala of the Balay Negrense by Zetes Baldevia. It is confirmed that the bride and the groom will not feed their guests with wire.

The honeymoon, this time, wireless… will be in Boracay or somewhere in Metro Manila because Ian is contemplating to bring his wire to Salcedo Village for another big time exhibition. I know all these because I am one of the ‘ninongs’.